Overview

• The ruling determined that at the March 2022 owners’ meeting, the NFL management council, with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s approval, urged teams to trim guaranteed money in veteran contracts.
• NFLPA collusion claims were dismissed after Droney concluded there was no clear proof that clubs joined a coordinated agreement to suppress guarantees.
• The decision disclosed that Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson all signed extensions with far smaller guarantees than Deshaun Watson’s fully guaranteed $230 million deal.
• Emails between general counsel Jeff Pash and Goodell warned that rising contract guarantees threatened the collective bargaining agreement and prompted league leaders to act.
• Arbitration documents revealed NFLPA president JC Tretter privately criticized Russell Wilson as a “wuss” for failing to secure a fully guaranteed deal and blamed him for derailing broader guarantee trends.